Latitudinal running-board extension for freight-cars.



w. A; BREWER. I 1 LATIIUDINAL RUNNING BOARD EXTENSION FOR FREIGHT CARS.

NAMNQ APPLICATION FILED NOV. 25,1914. Patented July 6, 1915.

WILLIM BREWER, F PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO I. H. MURPHY CQREPANY, O PARNASSUS, PENNSYLVANIA..A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

ZATITUDINAL RUNNING-BOARD EXTENSION FOR FREIGHT-CARS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 6, 1915.

Application. filed November 25, 1914. Serial No. 873,922.

ways commonly secured to the roofs of freight cars to enable the trainmen to walk along the roof of the car. These runways, as usually constructed, consist of a number of running boards supported upon saddles at the ridge of the roof. In the case of cars having the outer surface of the roof made of sheet metal, it is necessary for the safety of the trainmen to provide latitudinal eX- tensions having wooden treads and extending from the running boards to the eaves.

My invention relates particularly to these latitudinal running board extensions.

My invention has for its objects to make a latitudinal running board extension which can be easily and cheaply made and applied to the car roof, and which will hold the boards securely in place without leaving any projecting ends of boards or bolts to catch the clothing of thetrainmen.

The invention consists in the parts, and in the arrangements and combinations of parts which will be more fully set forth hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawing which forms part of this specification and in which like reference characters refer to like parts in the several views, Figure l is a top plan View of a portion of a freight car at one end showing a latitudinal running board extension embodying the invention applied thereto; Fig. 2 is an end elevation of a portion of a freight car showing the latitudinal running board 1 extension applied thereto; Fig. 3 is an enlarged section, partly broken away, on the line 3-3 in Fig. 1; Fig; 4c is a fragmentary section on the line H in Fig. 3; and Fig. 5 is a detailed view of the end portion of the extension illustrating a modification.

sheets. The main running boards? are sup I ported upon running board saddles 3 accord ing to the well known construction. The boards 4 which constitute the tread of the latitudinal running board extension are supported at their ends by side members 5. These side members 5 are substantially channel-shaped in cross-section, and are arranged with their web portions 6 vertical and their respective flanges projecting toward each other. The side members 5 are preferably made of pressed steel, and have their lower flanges 7 wider than their upper flanges 8. Each upper flange 8 is preferably bent downwardly slightly so that its outer edge is closer to the bottom flange 7 than its inner edge. The boards 4: rest upon the bottom flanges 7 of the side members 5, the ends of said boards fitting in the channels of said side members between the flanges 7 and 8.

The lower flange 7 of each side member 5 at the upper end thereof extends beyond the web portion 6 and the upper flange 8, and is bolted to one or'more of the main running boards 2. The lower end portion of each side member 5 is bent downwardly and is secured to the car at the eaves by one or more bolts 9. The upper flanges 8 at the lower ends of the side members 5 may also be cut away, if desired, (see Fig. to enable the lower end portions of said side members to be more easily bent downwardly and to permit removal and replacement of the boards, the upper flanges 8 being bent downwardly sufliciently to prevent the boards 4 from sliding out at the caves. The

side members 5 are connected near each end thereof by cross-bars 10 whose end portions are offset downwardly. These oifset end portions of the side bars 10 are fastened by rivets 11 to the lower flanges 7 of the side members 5, said lower flanges having portions thereof opposite the ends of the crossbars 10 depressed, so that the heads ofthe rivets 11 are below the plane of the lower flanges 7. Extending from the Web portion 6 of one sidemeinber 5 to the web portion 6 of the other side member is a long bolt 12. One or more bolts 12 may be used as desired. The grab-iron 13 at the end of the car is secured by bolts 14 to the lower flange -7 of. the side member 5 nearest the end of the car. The grab-iron 15 at the side of the car is secured by bolts 16 to the lower cross-bar 10.

In assembling the latitudinal rumiing board extension upon the car roof the crossbars are riveted to the side members 5, and then the boards 4 are slipped between the the upper faces of the lower flanges 7 do not interfere with the movement of the boards 4. The downwardlybent lower end .portions of the side members 5 prevent the boards 4 from slipping out of said side members at the eaves. A cross bolt 12 may be used. for the same purpose. The bolt 12 is inserted after a suitable number of boards 4 have been slipped in, and then the remaining boards are slid in place. The side members 5 are then bolted to the main running boards 2 and to the side of. the car. By tightening the bolt .12 the upper flanges 8 of the side members 5 are drawn down to clamp the ends of the boards 4 tightly against the bottom flanges 7 of said side members. A

In the construction shown and hereinbefore described, all parts of the latitudinal extension are spaced some distance above the 'car roof, and consequently the roof sheets at the end of the car are not liable to be injured by having some downwardly projecting part of the latitudinal extension rub against them. The boards 4 of the latitudinal extension are held securely in place, without the use of bolts, screws or nails which are liable to work loose. Since the ends of the boards 4 fit in the channels of the side members 5, there are no projecting parts, either at the end or atthe side of the latitudinal extension, to catch the clothesof the trainmen as they climb to the roof. The side members 5 and the crossbars' 10 constitute a strong metallic frame to which the grab-irons can be firmly bolted.

The particular construction shown and hereinbefore described may be considerably modified without departing from the invention, and I do not wish to be limited to the details of this construction.

What I claim is:

1. The combination with the longitudinal running board of a freight car of a latitudinal extension comprising two side members extendingcrosswise of said car and secured at one end to said running board and secured at the other end to one side of the car, said side members each having a longitudinal channel therein, and boards whose ends extend'into the channels of said side members.

2. A latitudinal extension for the longitudinal running board of a freight car, said extension comprising metal side members substantially channel-shaped in cross-section, said side members having one end portion thereof secured to the running boards of the car and the other end portion thereof bent downwardly and secured to the side of the car, and boards having their ends fitted into the channels of said side members.

3. A latitudinal running board extension for freight cars comprising metal side members substantially channel-shaped in cross section and arranged with their web portions vertical, cross-bars extending between said side members and fastened to the lower flanges thereof, boards having their ends fitting between the flanges of said side members, and a bolt extending from the web portion of one side member to the web portion of the other side member, whereby said bOa-rdsca'n be clamped between the flanges of said side members by tightening said bolt.

4. A latitudinal extension for the longitudinal running board of a freight car, said extension comprising two metal side members extending crosswise of the car from said longitudinal running board and secured at one end to one side of the car, said side members having channels in their inner sides, boards having their ends in said channels, and means for tying said side members together and thereby holding said boards in place.

5. A latitudinal running board extension for freight cars comprising pressed steel side members substantially channel-shaped in cross-section, said side members having the lower flanges thereof wider than their upper flanges, boards resting upon the lower flanges of said side members and fitting between said lower flanges and said;

upper flanges, and means for drawing to-- ether said upper flanges and said lower flanges to clamp said boards.

6. A latitudinal running board extension for freight cars comprising metal side members substantially channel-shaped in crosssection, boards havin their' ends fitting in the channels of sai side members, and cross-bars having their end portions offset. downwardly and secured to the lower flanges of said side members, said lower flanges being depressed opposite the ends of said cross-bars.

7. A latitudinal running board extension for freight cars comprising metal side members substantially channel-shaped in cross-section, boards having their ends fit ting in the channels of said side members, metal cross-bars extending between said side members and fastened to the lower flanges thereof, a grab-iron secured to one of said side members, and a grab-iron se' cured to one of said cross-bars.

8. A running board construction for freight cars coi'nprising metal side members each having a longitudinal channel therein and arranged with their web portions vertical, boards having their ends fitting in the channels of said side members, and bolts extending between the web portions of said side members for clamping said side members to said boards.

A latitudinal extension for the longi tudinal running board of a freight car, said extension comprising side members substantially channel-shape in cross-section, each of said side members having a web portion, an upper flange and a lower flange, the web portions of said side members being arranged vertically, said side members being secured at one end to the running board of the car, the upper flange at the other end of each. side member being cut away for a short distance, the remaining web portion and lower flange at said other end. of each I side member being bent downwardly and secured to one side of the car, and boards having their ends fitted between the flanges of said side members.

Y 10. A latitudinal extension for the longitudinal running board of a freight car, said extension comprising metal side members substantially channel-shape in cross-section, boards having their ends fitting in the channels of said sidemembers, said side members being secured at one end to the running board of the car, and at the other end to one side of, the car, cross-bars extending between said side members and fastened thereto, said side members andsaid crossbars constituting a metallic frame, and grab-irons bolted to said frame.

- Signed at Pittsburgh, Pa, this 20th day of November, 1914.

WILLIAM A. BREWER.

Witnesses:

FRANK W. WOLFE, I JOHN P. DEsMoNn. 

